


No one taught me how to prepare for this

by Blueeyedlistener



Series: Random Stories (general) [9]
Category: Original Work
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-13
Updated: 2017-03-13
Packaged: 2018-10-03 23:36:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10261577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blueeyedlistener/pseuds/Blueeyedlistener
Summary: It repeats a lot, whoops.I also lost it somewhere but not sure where.





	

**Author's Note:**

> It repeats a lot, whoops.   
> I also lost it somewhere but not sure where.

"Come on, We should go out and celebrate! It's your birthday!" Rena laughed nervously as she continued to politely decline the offer. "Thanks you guys, but, I think I'll pass tonight." She hadn't felt like going out, and tonight was no different. "Besides, I need to look after the baby so maybe another night, alright?" They all nodded as they gave up temporarily and continued with their work. She didn't know how to tell them the real reason she was declining.   
  
Well, reasons. They knew she had been having a hard time adjusting to everything now that Erik had gotten called back out to the Military but the wait for him to return home killed her more with each day. No one told her how to learn to be used to his absence; How cold the bed would be at night without him there, How quiet the house would be when the baby was asleep, How much time she would have with her thoughts in the shower and throughout the entire day. Sure, Erik and her video-chatted often but it didn't replace the longing she had to see him face-to-face. All she wanted was for him to be home but there was nothing she could do to change it.   
  
There was no one to teach her how to manage between a stressful day of hearing children crying and then returning home to a crying child while having a massive headache making her want to cry as well. Did it feel like Hell? She would've said so. There was no one to blame though, as she knew this was always a possibility to happen- though it was never expected. Her phone began to ring as she glanced down at it as she held the crying baby in her arms; Carefully holding the baby with her left arm, she answered it with her right to put it on speaker as she was greeted with a rendition of 'Happy Birthday' from her sister and her parents. "So, are you going out tonight?"   
"No, I think I'm just going to chill at home, take care of the baby and try to relax maybe." Hearing nothing but protest from her sister, she couldn't help but laugh. "You have to go out! You haven't been out in like, forever!"   
  
"I'll go out, just not tonight. I'm feeling pretty tired." They tried to ask what felt like a million questions but she cut them off and said her goodbye before they all mutually hung up their phones. "Sorry guys.. It's just not fun without him here.." Rocking the baby gently in her arms to calm them before laying them in the crib beside the bed, Rena did her best to fight back the tears. No sooner than she laid the baby down, there was a repetitive knock at the door; Startled momentarily, she jumped as she tried to question who was there to visit that late at night. Carefully opening the door, Erik's parents were standing there. "Shouldn't you be out enjoying your birthday?"   
"Not tonight. I'm taking care of the baby, maybe another night."   
  
"That's where we come in at." Allowing them in, she couldn't help but still be lost in confusion. "What are you both talking about?"   
"Well, It's likely you need a break from everything for a night, so why don't you go out and enjoy the remainder of the night and we'll watch over the little one." Rena opened her mouth to decline but they refused to accept it. "Don't give us that. We've even put the effort to speak with your family and we've all agreed to put any differences aside for the night and give you the break you've deserved." Tears began to run down Rena's cheeks, but she couldn't label them with a specific feeling. "Thank you, really, but I couldn't ask you all to do that on such a sudden notice, and especially with him being gone."   
  
"We're well aware it's been tough for you during his absence, which is another reason we want to go enjoy yourself. I'm sure he wouldn't be happy to hear that you've just about locked yourself at home this whole time. He worries about you enough, and that wouldn't help. You need to get out, just forget about everything for a little bit. We'll all be here for when you return." Her shoulders shook as she couldn't fight back the tears and she felt a pair of arms wrap around her. Despite all of the emotions, her guilt was taking over more than the rest; Here she was, locking herself in the house and she knew it had to be so much harder for Erik's parents than for her and they were here, watching over her because they knew she needed a break.   
  
"You don't even have to do anything special. Go out and have a nice dinner, or just go somewhere and relax. Just enjoy whatever you want to do. Alright?" She tried to compose herself, as she wiped away her tears. "I'm sorry."   
"Every second you're here, is a second you're wasting."   
  
She went to change, and she decided against doing anything major. There was constant breezes blowing through the air, and she decided to visit the park and just take in the cold air for a little bit. Glancing down at her phone, she was greeted with a picture of her and Erik; It was a picture he had actually taken of them by surprise and she had insisted for him to delete it but he refused and set it as her phone background. She just couldn't bring herself to change it.   
  
Tears fell once again as she allowed herself to cry. "Why do you have to be gone?.. I just want you home.. I know that's so selfish but for once, I'm fine with being selfish. Everything's so cold without you here, and everything's so quiet at times that it's deafening. I know you may not be gone for much longer, but the not knowing is what kills me even more." There wasn't a clue of who she was talking to, but she didn't care. People could think she was crazy and Rena just couldn't find it in her to be concerned about it. This was the first birthday that he had missed, but him being gone is what made it worse; She wasn't even upset that he had missed the birthday but it was his absence. 


End file.
